


Stuck with You

by sgteam14283



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen, Long-Distance Relationship, Sickfic, Snowed In, house arrest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23282584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgteam14283/pseuds/sgteam14283
Summary: Adults can handle being stuck somewhere for a long period of time. For the most part.
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Female Ryder | Sara/James Vega, Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Kudos: 4
Collections: Lock Down Fest





	1. Snowed In

**Author's Note:**

> What better way to pass all the indoor time we're suddenly spending than with a fic compilation? This will have a bunch of different fandoms in it, which I'll add as I post. I'll also tag if it deals with the current outbreak. The first one however, doesn't and is just a regular 'we're snowed in' fic. Enjoy!

Clint Barton stared at the impossibly high ceiling of the common room in Stark Tower and wondered what he had done to deserve this kind of punishment. He’d been all set out to fly out to the Farm for a few weeks when a nor’easter blew up and shut LaGuardia (and pretty much everything else) down.

So here he was, staring at the ceiling and wondering what the hell he was going to do to pass the time.

A bark followed by metal clinking told Clint that Lucky was back from his exploration of the floor and he sat up as the dog rounded the couch. “Have fun boy?” he asked as he started petting the dog.

Lucky gave a few excited barks and pushed his nose towards Clint’s face, trying to lick it.

“I know, I know. I’d rather be at the farm too. We’ll Skype Laura and the kiddos later, how does that sound?” 

Lucky gave a _whuff_ and sat in front of Clint, his tongue hanging out as Clint continued to pet him.

“And good thing Natasha brought you here. Otherwise I’d be in Bed-Stuy trying to get over here and we all know what a nightmare traffic is when it snows.” 

As he talked Clint remembered that he’d gotten Cooper one of those air-soft guns with a bunch of extra foam darts. And it was sitting in his luggage, currently in his little-used room. “C’mon Luck, I’ve got an idea.”

\-- 

“Watch out!”

Steve reacted almost immediately, stepping to the side as something yellow narrowly missed his head. Confused, he turned around to see what had almost hit him and it was a small foam dart. 

“That didn’t take long.” Steve muttered under her breath, knowing that this kind of thing screamed Clint Barton and his infamous restlessness when they were boxed in somewhere that wasn’t a mission.

Fully stepping into the room he saw that the common area had been transformed into a make-shift target range; what furniture that could be moved had either been shoved to the side or arraigned so Clint could easily move around, paper targets stuck to the walls with a few in places Steve wondered if Clint really put them there or if Thor had helped, and Clint currently sitting on the counter with Lucky nearby; the dog’s tail going crazy as he looked up at his owner.

“Oh, hey Steve.” Clint finished reloading the air soft gun and gave his long-time partner a smile. “You’re just in time.” 

“For…”

“This.” Clint said as he stood on the counter, aimed the gun at an angle and pulled the trigger. “Go get it!” he called out as the dart launched out and started to travel across the room.

Lucky gave a bark and went bounding after it, running up the overturned couch, and jumping into the air to catch the dart before it hit the ground.

“Does Tony know you turned the common area into a dog park?” Steve asked, while wondering where Natasha and the rest of the crew were. Normally when they were stuck somewhere, her or one of the others could keep Clint from wreaking havoc.

Clint shot Steve a ‘do you think I’d still be doing this if he did’ look and hopped down from the counter. By this time Lucky had trotted back to Clint and was holding the dart in his mouth. “Good boy.” Clint smiled as he tried to get the dart from Lucky. 

But Lucky had other ideas because the golden retriever turned his head to avoid Clint’s hand and slipped through his legs to escape into the kitchen.

Clint straightened before taking out his StarkPhone and tossing it to Steve, “I’ll get it later, want to time me?”

“Uh...sure.” Steve took the phone and opened the clock app. “Just let me know when.”

Clint took a breath and rolled his neck, “Okay...go!” 

The first couple of targets were easy and Clint nailed them in quick succession. But going for the higher up ones required more fineness and he took that as a challenge. Mindful of the furniture Clint twisted to get a target behind him, firing the gun underneath his opposite arm. The foam dart hit the target but ricocheted off at an angle towards the elevator, bouncing harmlessly off the metal door.

“ _Three more and I’m done._ ” Clint told himself as he sprinted across the room towards the next target. He went for style for this one as well, turning so he was backwards. He was closer so the dart hit the wall with more force than the others and bounced off a lampshade, headed towards the kitchen.

Just as it left his field of view, Clint heard Lucky bark followed by a shout. Turning around towards the commotion, he saw Natasha in the middle of the kitchen with Lucky by her side.

Nat was giving him a death glare, the one she reserved for those she was about to really hurt, and Clint spotted a yellow dart not far behind her. Putting it all together, he knew what had just happened; Lucky had gotten Natasha to come out of her room, and because Clint didn’t know that he’d almost hit her with the last foam dart.

Clearing his throat he flashed Nat a quick smile while putting the air-soft gun behind him, “I think I have some arrows I can fletch. C’mon Lucky.”

Steve watched Clint beat a hasty retreat towards his room, handing the man his phone when he was near enough. “I’m surprised you didn’t take the dart gun from him.”

Natasha shrugged, “I knew he was going to break it out sooner or later. Besides, it’s more fun to keep him wondering if I’m going to get him back for nearly hitting me.”

Steve chuckled at the statement, “We do have to find ways to keep ourselves entertained.”


	2. Sick at The Worst Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Germs have shit timing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rare pair time! This one is Vega/Ryder, set post-ME3, and is just a general 'sick' fic. 
> 
> Estatua del Cristo Redentor= Christ the Redeemer Statue

“This sucks.” Anna Ryder muttered to herself while kicking off the covers, the low-grade fever making them uncomfortable to be under. She was on day three of a flu bug and she was just as miserable as the first day. "Argh."

There was a knock on her door and after a seconds pause, it opened a crack.

“How’re you feeling?” James Vega said through the slightly opened door. “I brought you some tea, you need to keep hydrated.”

“Like I’m running on empty despite not getting out of bed.” Anna sniffed, reaching for a tissue to dab her running nose. “I swear to god if you come in here without a hazmat suit on I’m going to kick your ass once I’m better.” 

Despite the threat, James couldn’t help but smile a little. “Hey, you’re the one who told me you were quarantining yourself. That you didn’t want me to get sick and miss out on my next N training.”

Anna just rolled over so her face was buried in the pillow and let out a groan. She then told James what he could with the tea.

“Sorry didn’t catch that.” 

Anna raised her head so he could hear her. “Leave it on the dresser. And wash your hands after.”

James opened the door a bit wider and set the mug of tea on the dresser as instructed. But instead of closing the door and going back to the main room of the house, he leaned against it.

Flopping back onto the bed, Anna looked at James with what little energy she could muster, “What are you doing?”

“Giving you moral support from a distance. It sucks that you’re sick while I’m here, since I’m only here for a week and apparently that’s how long this thing lasts.”

“And you won’t get leave for who knows how long.” Anna grumbled, not liking the turn of events either. “I had some fun stuff planned too.”

Vega straightened at the information, “Oh? Such as?”

“You’ll just have to wait until next time to find out.” Anna faintly smiled, the teasing feeling good after being miserable for so long. “Or I can catch a flight out to Brazil and visit you.” 

“I’m sure I could arrange a couple of nights away to show you the city. Maybe show you _estatua del Cristo Redentor_ , the view from there at night is amazing.”

Anna felt herself relax as James talked, his voice drawing her into sleep, “Hmm... And what else?”

“There’s the beach, it’s perfect for surfing. And a few of the parks and forests survived the war, you can spend at least a week exploring them.”

“Mpf.” 

“And if you come during _Carnivalé_? Freckles, you’d have the time of your life. Parties down every street, everyone dancing and having so much fun.” James continued to talk, lowering his voice until he was sure that Anna was finally asleep. 

Moving quietly, he made his way into the room and towards the bed. Gently laying the back of his hand against her cheek, he checked to make sure her fever wasn’t spiking. Satisfied that she wasn’t in any danger, he whispered, “I missed you Freckles. Get better soon.”


	3. Chicken Pox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint gets banned from The Farm. Fortunately, there's somewhere else he can go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a Farm Family one-shot! (sort of) Also I've fancasted Daniel Craig as Barney for the longest time, so that's who I imagined while writing this. Enjoy!

Clint Barton knew the route from the airport to his house in Kansas like the back of his hand. He actually knew several routes, but the one they were on right now was the quickest.

It had been months since the last time him and Natasha had gotten away and he was itching to hold Cooper and see Lila. The warm spring air filled the car with the scent of wildflowers and freshly tilled soil. 

“They should start planting soon.” Clint remarked as he made the turn into the long gravel road that led to the farmhouse.

“Didn’t you say that last year?” Natasha Romanov said with a quick smile towards her partner. It was always nice to get more than a few days off so they could come out here and just enjoy the solitude. Pretend they weren’t spies for a secret government organization. “And then it poured so much that they were late in planting.” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

As they drew closer to the farmhouse, Clint frowned. Normally on days like this everyone was out to enjoy the weather after being cooped up for so long. But the front yard was empty and the playful shrieking of children playing was noticeably absent. Rolling the car to a stop he paused for a second, taking in the situation. 

“Need backup?” Natasha asked while glancing back and forth between Clint and the front porch, wondering what was going on as well. 

“Not yet.” Clint replied as he reached towards the back seat and his carry-on. Quickly digging out his off-duty weapon, he clipped it to his belt and pulled his shirt over it.

Natasha pulled out hers as well, but kept it in the open, because with Clint Barton it could go from zero to off the walls in no time. Getting out with him, she did as he silently asked and stayed by the car. Folding her arms against her chest, Natasha watched as Clint approached the front door with a casual air, but she knew it was anything but.

“Laura?” Clint called out as he neared the door. “I got an earlier flight than I thought and-”

“Clint Barton, stop right there!” Laura Barton barged out the door, arm outstretched to stop him from coming nearer.

Natasha straightened when Laura appeared, confused as why she wouldn’t let Clint inside. She caught snippets of the heated conversation. 

“-on Sunday.” 

“-came right from the mission.” 

“-already there.” 

“-no right to!”

“You weren’t here so I had to do _something_!” Laura shot back, frowning at Clint’s instance. “I already have an extra bag packed for you and he’s expecting you.”

Clint ran a hand through his hair and wanted to argue more, but knew that Laura was right. Sighing, he took the bag Laura was holding and turned back towards the car.

“What’s going on?” Natasha asked once Clint was near enough again and Laura had disappeared back into the house.

“Lila has the chicken pox and since I didn’t get them when I was little, she’s banning me from the house. Told me to social distance myself, whatever the fuck that means.” 

“Where’s Cooper then?” Natasha asked as they got back into the car and Clint started it up. “I don’t think she wants a one-year old to get them.”

Clint threw the car into reverse and started to back up so he could turn around. “Yeah...she had Barney take him.”

“Who’s Barney?” she figured by the grimace that flashed across Clint’s face when she said the name as well as the argument that him and Laura had about it, Barney was someone who Clint avoided if he could help it.

Clint waited until the farmhouse disappeared before replying, “My older brother.”

\--  
Barney’s house was actually in the nearest town, if you could call it that. It was more like a small collection of homes and a few independent businesses. And as Clint drove up to the curb, he noticed that the lawn was well maintained as did the ranch style house itself. Getting out and grabbing his bags, he could also feel Natasha’s gaze on him.

“Is there a reason you didn’t tell me?” Natasha asked as Clint made his way around to her side of the car. She was trying to be reasonable, maybe there was a solid explanation as to why she didn’t know Clint had an older brother. 

“Nat-”

Barking from inside the house cut him off and they both looked towards the door.

“Lucky!” came the shout as the door opened and a golden retriever came bounding out. Clint moved automatically, squatting down as the dog all but collided with him, licking his face.

“Hey there boy. It’s been awhile.” Clint laughed as he petted Lucky. Standing, he tried to discreetly wipe off the dog drool as Lucky noticed there was another person and went to investigate Natasha.

“Laura called, said you’d be over soon.”

Clint turned around to face his older brother, the southern accent still strong as ever. “Yeah. Lost my phone at work so I didn’t know about Lila until I got here. She said that you’ve had Cooper quarantined here since Sunday.” 

“Yeah. He’s been fine. Trying to chat up a storm.” Barney replied, stopping well short of Clint and folding his arms against his chest. “We gonna do this now or later?”

“Later. Still have to explain to Natasha about you and...all of this.” 

“Alright. Cooper’s down for a nap but if you want to check on him, he’s in the guest room.”

Barney moved to pick up their bags and whistled for Lucky to follow him as he headed back towards the house.

Clint rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sigh, glancing at Natasha and knowing that he was going to spend the afternoon unpacking his family history with her. “Let me check on Cooper and get a drink, then I”ll tell you the story.”

“How many drinks is this story going to be?”

“A lot.” 

Natasha tipped her head to the side while slightly nodding. She knew they both had complicated backgrounds, but trusted each other when it came time to talk about it. She was still miffed that Clint didn’t tell her about Barney, but the fact that he was willing to explain as much as he could now was a sign that he still trusted her.

“Alright then, let’s go meet your brother.”


	4. Bored Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard trying to avoid paperwork is nothing new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during me3!

“How much longer is this going to be?” 

Kaidan Alenko looked up from the datapad to see Shepard getting up from her spot on the couch and moving up the steps. A quick glance at his omni-tool told him that she had lasted a ten minutes more than he thought she would. “EDI said that it’d take them a few hours to clean everything up. It’s only been an forty-five minutes."

They had been about to report for first shift, when the Normandy’s level three hazmat protocols had activated; turns out there’d been an eezo leak in engineering. While the leak had been quickly dealt with and no one had gotten hurt, the decontamination was going to take awhile. So they’d settled into the unexpected quarantine and tried to catch up on the paperwork that had been piling up.

Or at least Kaidan had.

Shepard slumped her shoulders while giving Kaidan a look over the frosted glass. “I know that, and I know we don’t want any more new biotics because of it...but I have to start sorting through intel reports on Tuchanka. Drack’s not responding to the comms we’re sending him and we _need_ some idea of what’s going on there before we touch down.”

“And you can’t do that from your cabin? Here I thought you’d finally gotten used to a command position and started delegating.” Kaidan gently teased, knowing that Shepard had to be among everything in order to feel like she was getting things done.

Which was one of the reasons he liked her, she wasn’t like the usual figures in command; they were more happy to delegate than get in the middle of it. But Shepard thrived among the chaos, which was an asset to have in these times, but was a drawback when things were slow. Like they were now.

“I can, but you know how vague reports can be. I like hearing from people on the ground because they know what the conditions are actually like. And unfortunately my cabin isn’t set up for quantum-entanglement holos.”

“Hmm, yes. That is a shame, because that would have made my stay at Huerta _much_ more enjoyable.”

Shepard let out an amused snort while shaking her head as she picked up the datapad that she needed, “You’re trouble Kaidan Alenko.”

Kaidan watched as Shep made her way back to where she’d been sitting but instead of the chair, moved to the couch. Taking the opportunity to move towards her, Kaidan gave her a smile and placed a quick kiss on her lips. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

“No. I wouldn’t.” Shepard was quiet for a few minutes, watching Kaidan settle back into his report. “You know...there _is_ something else we could do to pass the time.”

Kadain glanced over and saw the mischievous look in her eyes. And the Spectre report he was trying to get through was dry enough that he felt like indulging her. “Oh? And what would that be?”

“I still haven’t beat you in Settler of Catan.” 

“Yes you have. Last time we played.”

“That was the original version though. I ordered the post-Mass Effect version awhile ago and finally picked it up when we were at the Citadel. It’ll be fun. And make the time go by quicker.” Shepard smiled at Kaidan, hoping he’d give in.

“Alright.”

Shepard gave Kaidan a quick kiss before scrambling up and heading towards the storage locker where she kept some of her personal effects. Kaidan locked the pad and set it aside before clearing the coffee table. As she set the game box down said, “I am going to kick your ass.”

“Big talk from someone who can’t get a decent dice roll.” 

They’d just gotten the board set up when their omni-tools chirped at the same time. Glancing at the message, they saw that the quarantine had been lifted and they could leave Shep’s cabin.

“Looks like we’ll have to put the game on hold.” Kaidan stated as he stood while running a hand through his hair.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Shepard smiled while watching him exit the room. Quickly putting everything back in the box, she stood and smoothed down her uniform. Even if it’d felt like it’d never end, being stuck in her cabin had been a nice break from the running around she’d been doing ever since Earth had been attacked.


	5. Impulse Buying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's under house arrest and needs something to pass the time. Fortunately the Extranet is always open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a silly one-off with a non-canon Shepard so I play a little fast and loose with characterization here. ~~also we all know amazon is set on global domination so ofc they'd exist in the megacorp mass effect universe~~
> 
> Enjoy!

Alison Shepard was going stir-crazy. 

It had only been a few weeks since the Alliance tribunal had sentenced her to house-arrest in Vancouver for destroying the batarian mass relay. Alison knew she had to do it, otherwise the Reapers would have finally gained a foothold in the Milky Way. 

At first she’d enjoyed sleeping in and the reduced workload, she even managed to finish a crochet project that had been in progress since forever, but that had only lasted until yesterday and now she was starting to chafe under the restrictions.

“ _It's been awhile since I got to punch something._ ” Alison thought as she stared out of the window. Not moving when she heard the door open she just said, “Thanks, Lieutenant. You can just set it on the table, I’ll get to it later.”

“Sure, Commander.” James Vega said while setting the tray on the table. He’d been assigned to the Commander’s guard detail since day one and was trying to merge the version of Shepard the Alliance used to parade around with the one currently in front of him. That version was a card shark, ‘forgot’ to clear her extranet browsing history, and liked to sit by the window while crocheting. 

“ _Not what I’d expect the ‘Butcher of Torfan’ to be like._ ” James thought while settling into one of the empty chairs next to the table.

“What, they’re making you watch me eat now?” Alison dryly stated as she pushed off the windowsill. “And you’re not supposed to call me that anymore.”

“You’ve got a four-hour debrief in twenty so I figured I’d save a trip.”

“Uhuh.” Alison sat in the other chair and made a face at the eggsalad sandwich that was in front of her. She hated the stuff, but didn’t want to suffer a debrief in front of Alliance brass on an empty stomach.

Lunch was over quickly and Alison was slightly grateful at being to leave her quarters. Walking in the halls, she stood straight and ignored the glances those passing by threw at her. She’d been getting those kinds of looks ever since Torfan and had grown used to them.

Hours later, Alison walked back into her quarters and let out a breath while rubbing the back of her neck. Flopping on the bed, she stared at the ceiling just so...frustrated. 

“ _Why can’t they see that me destroying the Mass Relay isn’t about Torfan?_ ” she told herself while running a hand through her dirty blond hair. “ _They’re wasting time not preparing for the Reapers._ ”

Letting out a frustrated growl, Alison got up off the bed and started pacing up and down the length of her quarters; trying to come up with a way to make the Admiralty Board see her point of view. But she wasn’t coming up with anything that didn’t make her seem even more like the disgraced poster-girl of the Alliance.

Flopping back onto the bed, Alison flipped open her omni-tool and headed over to the Amazon site; mindless scrolling always helped to calm her down.

\--  
“Morning, Lieutenant. Packages for the Com-Shepard sir.”

James paused as he made his way past the desk, “What?” 

“Came in this morning.”

James looked at the stack of three boxes that were sitting off to the side, all baring the standard colored Amazon tape across the from. The top one had clearly been opened and he had no doubt that the others had been as well. “Can she...can she order things?”

The corporal shrugged, “I asked Admiral Anderson and he said sure. After he laughed for a minute. We just have to check them to see what she ordered.”

“Okay then. I’ll take them to her.” The packages were light and James tried to think of what she’d ordered. 

Alison looked up from her omni-tool when the door opened and smiled when she saw James walking in with her packages. “The perks of having a prime account.” she muttered to herself while walking over to the table to open the first one.

“They fucking opened my packages! What do you think I’m ordering? Porn?” 

James bit back a smile at the exclamation, “Admiral Anderson said we have to check them.”

Alison frowned but swallowed the retort that came to mind. “Well at least I have the yarn to start another project.” she looked up at Vega, who had moved towards the door. Squinting her eyes she tilted her head, “Do you have a scarf, Lieutenant?”

“A scarf, Commander?”

“Yeah. It gets kinda cold up here in the winter. You’ll want a scarf and a hat.”

Vega just shook his head, slightly amused at the comment, “I’m sure it won’t be that bad. If I can ask, why knitting?”

Alison pulled out the rest of the yarn from the box, different shades of reds and blues, “It’s _crocheting_ , not knitting. Yes, there’s a difference and it’s because it keeps my hands loose. Doctor’s do it too.”

Setting the empty box aside, she pushed open the flaps of the second one. “Why do you still keep calling me Commander? The brass stripped me of that title when they sentenced me to house arrest here.”

“Because I’m sure you had a good reason for destroying that relay. And I don’t buy the line that it’s because of Torfan.”

Alison paused at James’s statement, realizing that for the first time this whole thing started she had someone who didn’t think she was crazy from everything that had happened to her in the past four years. Clearing her throat she whispered, “So you believe me when I say the Reapers were trying to get through?”

James knew that the Commander’s room was bugged, hell he’d help to oversee the installation, so he told himself that was why she was whispering. But at the same time, he couldn’t give her the answer she wanted because he didn’t know if he fully believed it himself. So he settled for a shrug then loudly saying, “Enjoy knitting Lola.” 

Then Vega was gone and Alison was left with her boxes and the feeling that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t alone in this fight.

\--

After that, Alison Shepard kept ordering things from Amazon almost daily; she was bored and the extranet was right there. Plus she had the credits from an account that the Alliance probably didn’t know about, a holdover from her Red days, and lots of time on her hand. Vega got used to the daily package delivery and looked forward to seeing what she’d ordered this time.

As the weather turned cooler and the meetings with either Alliance medical or the board got longer, the number of packages increased. It seemed almost every time Vega came either on duty there was a stack of boxes on the front desk, waiting for someone to deliver them to Shepard.

“You don’t need this much yarn.” James raised an eyebrow as Shepard emptied yet another box full of multicolored yarn. “Are you making sweaters for hanar or something?”

“Yes I do.” Alison stated as she silently counted how many skeins had arrived. “And no, although I’m sure there’s a pattern for hanar sweaters out there.”

James just looked at Shepard and wondered if he should alert Anderson just to how much she was impulse buying.

A few days later though, it all came to a head. A few nights before Shepard had started watching the Blasto movies she’d missed while either on deployment or the two years she’d been dead. She’d enjoyed them and seemed to have moved on, looking for something else to hold her attention.

Then James walked in, ready to start his shift, when he noticed the pile of packages on the desk and floor. Stopping just inside the building, he silently hoped that they were for someone else.

“Care to explain all this?” 

James turned and automatically saluted after hearing Admiral Anderson’s voice. “It seems that the Com-that Shepard might be going a little stir crazy, sir. She’s been ordering things off the extranet and might have gone a little overboard.” 

Anderson furrowed his eyebrows at the explanation. “Hmm, well I was on my way to speak to her about that. Might as well take these with.”

“Yes sir.” James nodded and headed towards the pile. Him and the Admiral, took as many packages as they could and even then there were a few left over. They received plenty of looks as they walked through the hallway and James nodded for the guard at the door to open it.

Shepard wasn’t in the main room, so he set the packages down before striding towards the closed bedroom door and knocking on it.

It slid open and Alison stuck her head out, her hair still wet from the shower. “My packages-Admiral! This is a...surprise.”

“Is it Shepard? Do I want to know why there are thirty boxes of Blasto merch for you?" 

"To be fair only ten of them contain Blasto merch, the rest are items that were suggested to me by the algorithm." Alison smiled while fully walking into the room. “Wanted to see what it would take.”

“Well you found out. They deactivated your account this morning.” 

" _What_ do you mean they deactivated my prime account? At the very least I'm paying part of their electricity bill. Did they find my credit account though?”

“I stopped them before they did. Said I’d handle it myself since the Alliance could use those funds.”

“Well, I still have plenty of credits left. Maybe you could suddenly ‘find’ a couple thousand credits in exchange for the rest being left alone?”

“I’ll think about it, but maybe one of your friends can spot a line item that everyone missed. But that’s only part of it, your extranet access has also been restricted.” Anderson held out a hand, “Your omni-tool Shepard.”

Alison made a face but took off her omni-tool and handed it over to Anderson. “It was worth it.”  
As Anderson left, James stayed and was confused about what had just happened. “Question, Commander.”

Alison pulled out the Blasto! workout top, “You’re never going to stop calling me that are you?”

“Nope.”

“Anderson’s used to my shenanigans. Remind me to tell you about how I got hazed for my N-levels and what I did in revenge.” Alison tossed the top onto the couch and took out the next item in the box while continuing, “And you want to know why this whole thing. I did it to see how much I could order until Brass snapped and took away my extranet privileges. Two months is longer than I thought, I’ll give them that.”

James didn’t know if that was a brilliant way to pass the time or if he should worry. “So you spent all your money pushing the brass’s buttons.”

Alison let out a scoffing noise while unwrapping the blasto plushie from the plastic packaging, “Like I have a bottomless supply of credits. Ta-A _friend_ who knows her way around encryption protocols helped me access someone else’s account. Somewho’s who’s a real jerkoff. Apparently they order enough stuff off their company account that mine didn’t trip anything. Go figure.”

“Is this the same friend who’s going to help find a mysterious line item?”

Alison flicked her eyes towards James for a moment before shaking her head, “Nah, that’s another friend.” 

“You seem to have a lot of friends.”

“What can I say? I’m likeable that way.” Shepard stuffed the items in one box before standing and stretching. “But no, that’ll actually come from my personal account. Anything on the agenda today?”

James shook his head, “No meetings today. Maybe I can clear some time in the gym during second shift though. Use this morning as an excuse of you needing to get out.”

Alison smiled at the thought of getting some honest to god workout time that wasn’t in her apartment, “You’re the best.”

“I try Lola.” The nickname slipped out, because with what she just pulled, she reminded him of a red head from his block growing up, running hustles and seeing what trouble she could get into.

“You’ve called me that before. Who’s Lola?” 

“Err...yeah. Someone I knew from back home.”

“Good things I hope.”

James smiled, “Only.” 

Oh yes, it certainly wasn’t going to be boring around Alison Shepard.


End file.
